Leading Saints Podcast

Elder Dennis B. Neuenschwander, an emeritus general authority seventy since 2008, is presently a traveling patriarch in the Baltic region. Of Swiss heritage, he was born and raised in Utah, living in both Salt Lake City and Ogden. As a youth he was active in the church’s sports, music and speech activities and served a 30-month mission in Finland from 1959-1962. As a full-time missionary he was as...

Robert Millet, Ph. D., is an author, speaker, and professor of ancient scripture and emeritus Dean of Religious Education at Brigham Young University. Author of 76 published works, he has been involved in BYU Education Week for many years and is well-known as a commentator on the BYUTV Scripture Discussions program. He is also Manager of Outreach and Interfaith Relations for the LDS Church’s Publi...

Davis Smith is the founder-CEO of Cotopaxi, an outdoor gear brand based in Salt Lake City, Utah with a social mission at its core.  Cotopaxi focuses on using the power of business as a force for social, environmental, and economic good.  Davis is a serial e-commerce entrepreneur, having started and sold several businesses. His father worked for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in La...

Barbara Morgan Gardner is an associate professor of Church history and doctrine at Brigham Young University, and the author of The Priesthood Power of Women. Her research interests focus primarily on women in religious leadership, international education, and religious pedagogy. She holds a master's degree in educational leadership and foundations and a PhD in instructional psychology, and did pos...

In this podcast, Kurt interviews Mary Alice Hatch, who is serving as the Relief Society President in her California ward, and Søs Gram, who is serving as a Stake Relief Society President in Germany. Sister Mary Alice Hatch Mary Alice Hatch lives in San Clemente, California. She is originally from Potomac, Maryland, a mother of two, has previously served as a Young Women's president, twice in Relie...

Tanya Bennion is a mother and graphic designer/web developer, and enjoys photography and travel. She grew up in Wyoming, served a mission in Fukuoka, Japan, and attended school at the University of Wyoming, BYU, and American University. Tanya and her first husband, Bailey, were married just over two years before he passed away. She and her second husband, Jeff, have one son and live in the Salt La...

Reverend France A. Davis has been the pastor at the Calvary Baptist Church in Salt Lake City, Utah, since 1974. He was born and raised in Georgia and attended school at Tuskegee University in Alabama, during which time he participated in marches with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He then served in the Air Force during the Vietnam War era and later came to Salt Lake City as a teaching fellow in the C...

In this episode, Leading Saints Executive Director, Kurt Francom, shares his closing session from the Liberating Saints Virtual Summit. He approaches the subject of supporting and mentoring someone through a difficult struggle with pornography, from a doctrinal standpoint. Highlights 3:00 Approaching the topic from a doctrinal standpoint 4:20 Behaviors vs doctrine/heart 5:15 “The study of the doct...

Daniel Duckworth is a leadership professional. He works primarily as a transformational teacher to transform the leadership performance of executives and managers, and also as a transformational consultant to facilitate strategic execution of major change initiatives. He is affiliated with the University of Michigan Center for Positive Organizations. After a decade in Michigan, he returned to Utah...

Rob Eaton is originally from Auburn, Washington and now lives in Rexburg, Idaho, where he is an Associate Academic Vice President for Learning and Teaching and a member of the religious education faculty at BYU Idaho. Rob has served as an institute director and seminary teacher, a bishop, in a stake presidency, and as a mission president in the Washington, Federal Way mission, and previously overs...

Register for the Liberating Saints Virtual Summit Here This is a clip from the upcoming Liberating Saints Virtual Summit which begins on September 10, 2019. In this clip, you will hear Jonathan Daugherty who runs an organization called Be Broken Ministries. He is going to talk about how to stimulate healthy discussion about struggles with pornography in a church setting in order to stimulate healt...

Register for the Liberating Saints Virtual Summit Here This is a clip from the upcoming Liberating Saints Virtual Summit which begins on September 10, 2019. In this clip, you will hear Geoff Streurer discuss the concept of patiently helping someone disclose their struggle with pornography and infidelity in order to help them effectively heal (and to help those around them heal as well). To hear th...

Register for the Liberating Saints Virtual Summit Here This is a clip from the upcoming Liberating Saints Virtual Summit which begins on September 10, 2019. In this clip, you will hear Jody Moore talk about the 3 J's that can help someone maintain a healthy mentality when someone they love is struggling with pornography. To hear the full interview register for the Liberating Saints Virtual Summit

Register for the Liberating Saints Virtual Summit Here This is a clip from the upcoming Liberating Saints Virtual Summit which begins on September 10, 2019. In this clip, you will hear Anne Blythe who is the director of Betrayal Trauma Recovery, which is an organization that helps women overcome the trauma they experience in abusive relationships. To hear the full interview register for the Libera...

Frank Layden is a retired basketball coach and executive of the National Basketball Association's Utah Jazz. Layden during his coaching days was known for his lighthearted approach to the game as well as to himself, often mocking his weight and looks, and known for giving one-liners to the media before and after games. In 1984, Layden was awarded the NBA's Coach of the Year. That same season, he w...

Register for the Liberating Saints Virtual Summit Here This is a clip from the upcoming Liberating Saints Virtual Summit which begins on September 10, 2019. In this clip, you will hear Dina Alexander who is the founder and CEO of Educate and Empower Kids. She shares some best practices of how to easily talk to kids about the dangers of pornography. To hear the full interview register for the Liber...

Register for the Liberating Saints Virtual Summit Here This is a clip from the upcoming Liberating Saints Virtual Summit which begins on September 10, 2019. In this clip you hear how Steve Shields has found community from his local leaders that has helped him maintain recovery from his sexual addiction. To hear the full interivew register for the Liberating Saints Virtual Summit

Whitney Woodruff was shocked when President Rob Ferrell extended the call for her to serve as the stake Relief Society president in her young single adult stake. This was a calling typically reserved for older, married women with much more experience. As a young single adult herself, she solicited the help of three other incredible women; Kaylyn Crawford, Stacie Leavitt, and Kimberly Webb. In this...

Spencer Cox is currently serving as Utah's Lieutenant Governor and running for Governor of Utah. He served as a bishop while also serving as the mayor of the town of Fairview, Utah, and currently has a calling as Primary music leader. In this interview, Kurt and Spencer discuss serving in those positions and why serving in the community matters. Highlights 04:30 Deciding to run for office; creatin...

David Ostler is a former bishop, stake president and mission president (Freetown, Sierra Leone). Now retired, he has a professional business background focused on executive management of bioinformatics and evidence-based medicine. A lifelong member of the Church, Brother Ostler was raised in Utah, served a mission in Japan, and received undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Uta...

In this podcast, Kurt and his wife, Alanna, talk with Melanie Meszaros, Celeste Jensen, and Michelle Miner from the team hosting the upcoming The Heart of a Woman retreat. Melanie was raised in Ogden Utah, the youngest of six children. She attended Brigham Young University, earned a Master’s Degree in Education, and served in the Vienna, Austria mission. She and her husband have four children and...

Anthony Sweat is a “regular Latter-day Saint” who is trying to do his best.  He is a Church Education System educator for his career, has a PhD in Religious Theory, and is a professor of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University.  He is also a writer and speaker.  His Bachelors degree is in fine arts and he is a painter as well. Anthony's latest book is “Seekers Wanted”.  This is not...

The Ministering Muscle

In this podcast, Kurt interviews two women with the unofficial leadership calling of Bishop’s Wife. Sister Jordan Brown First he speaks with Jordan Brown, who lives in Spanish Fork, Utah, where her husband has been the bishop of their ward for two years. Highlights 4:25 The circumstances surrounding her husband Brian’s calling as Bishop 9:45 The makeup of their ward 11:35 Leadership Principles: Co...

Matthew Dicks is an author, columnist, teacher, storyteller, podcaster, blogger, playwright, and more. He is the co-founder and creative director of Speak Up, a storytelling organization that produces shows throughout New England as well as a weekly podcast, and the author of Storyworthy. Matthew is a 40-time Moth StorySLAM champion and 6-time GrandSLAM champion and has told stories for a wide ran...